Legalities
by Heather9979
Summary: Undercover as a couple, Kensi and Deeks must infiltrate a powerful law firm to discover it's ties to w weapon smuggling ring. Deeks (a partner playboy) and Kensi (his arm candy legal assistant) must discover how much of the firm is involved and locate the missing weapons before they are sold. Not really a case heavy fic, more focused on Densi as a couple.
1. Choices

**A/N: Ok…so I have to** **give plenty of credit to Bamie02 for this one. Not only is she a great sounding board with lots of very helpful advice….one of her stories inspired this idea to weasel its way into my brain. I love the idea of Deeks as a lawyer it shows off his intelligence and lets face it…..the man look in a suit. I'm thinking this will probably pan out to be around 5-6 chapters long….maybe longer if I find some more ideas and inspiration to include. Your ideas and input are always welcome and I greatly appreciate reviews. Thanks! Heather**

This morning had been perfect, it was sunny warm and breezy. The surf had been amazing and he had barely been to pull himself away from the ocean in time to get ready for work. Deeks had a feeling that his day was going to change drastically when he sauntered in to the office ten minutes late; and his day started with the simultaneous ringing of his phone, the display reading BATES, and the Assistant Director barking "Detective! My office NOW."

'Oh Joy!' he thought as he walked past his curious teammates shrugging at them as he strolled into Granger's office while silencing the lieutenant's call and firing off a text message that he would contact him ASAP.

"Detective I have two very important matters to discuss with you this morning, the first being your position here with NCIS."

"Sir…I"

Granger interrupts, "As you are well aware, Hetty is still on leave pending the final ruling of the investigative board. She is definitely not the only one here that feels you belong on this team permanently, however she was the only one capable of postponing your decision for any longer. I'm afraid that the powers that be are less than thrilled with the fact that you were allowed to travel out of country with the team on a highly classified mission. They have given me an ultimatum that I am forced to pass on to you….either you sign these papers making you an official NCIS agent….or you go back to LAPD, permanently."

"Sir…I"

Again interrupting, the Assistant Director continues, "Detective…..I myself have been very impressed with your work during your time here, and truly believe that you make the team stronger. At first I questioned Henrietta's choices in bringing in an outsider, but alas yet again I have learned never to question the wisdom or motivation behind her actions. I guess what I am saying is that I would really appreciate it if you signed these papers, you belong on my team."

"Sir…I…wow.."

"Most if not all of your initial FLETC training would be waved due to previous performance and experience, the papers have already been signed….all the way to the top of the chain of command, the only missing signature is yours." Granger continues unfazed by Deeks' hesitation.

"Wow….um what about the team?" Deeks asks as he sees his team sitting in their seats trying to pretend like they weren't just listening to the whole conversation.

"Just sign the damn papers already Deeks!" Sam hollers across the bullpen.

Kensi doesn't say anything but makes eye contact before tilting her head and cocking an eyebrow. She rounds everyone up directing them to the gym to allow for some much needed privacy.

Once the team is out of earshot Deeks works up the courage to speak, "I..well, I have one more question."

"You mean other than, Where do I sign?" Granger asks exasperatedly.

"Yeah..my partner…Kensi and I….well you see what it is….is I really need to know."Deeks stammers as he scratches the hair at the back of his neck.

Granger sees him struggling and can't manage to keep the look of amusement off of his face.

"Sign the papers Mr. Deeks. There are no such regulations to interfere in your personal life, especially in the case of a pre existing relationship." Says Hetty as she taps him on the shoulder.

Deeks jumps and turns around, "Jesus…wha…where…how?"

Hetty hands him an ink pen as she points to an x on the paper.

"Owen…I believe that you are seated at _my _desk, and I would appreciate it if you vacate my seat. I find myself quite weary from the travel. Please locate Ms. Blye, she will most likely be in the shooting range and bring her back here so that the two of them can be briefed on their next assignment."

"I'll go get her Hetty…I should probably give Lieutenant Bates a heads up anyway. He already tried to call me this morning."

"Oh, and Mr. Deeks."

"Yes Hetty?"

"Congratulations. Be back here in twenty with Ms. Blye and send the others on up to OPS to be briefed."

On his way down the steps he made the necessary phone calls to LAPD and lets them know to be expecting his formal written resignation by the end of the day. By the time he finishes up his conversation with Bates he is standing outside of the firing range watching Kensi empty clip after clip into the paper target. Only when she stops and sets her weapon down does he open the door.

"Kens….They want to see us upstairs."

"What'd you do this time Deeks?"

"Me….how come it's always me?"

"So…uh…did you do it? Did you sign the papers?"

"Yeah….yeah I did. I figured it was about time really, besides it was either sign or go back to LAPD….which truthfully was not an option for me."

"Ok…good to know….good to know. Congratulations _partner_."

"Kens….you know I..well I.."

She sighs with an eye roll, "Whatever Deeks, Let's go."

They make it into the deserted gym before he works up the courage to grab her wrist and pull her to him. "I asked about any regulations that would affect my ability to ever do this…" He leans in and gently brushes his lips against hers, and speaks the rest of his statement against her lips "again anytime soon. I was thoroughly reassured that there were no such regulations in place." He deepens the kiss and backs her up against the wall.

When air became a necessity Kensi pulls away and attempts to make some sense of the muddled emotions and thoughts in her head, she blinks her eyes rapidly while looking him in the eyes. "Um..ok….that's good to know too. D.d.d…do you plan on doing that again…um anytime soon I mean?"

He chuckles and leans his forehead against hers. "Yeah…mmmmm...I hope so anyway. I just wanted you to know that if I had to choose between you and the job…you win hands down."

He starts off up the steps with her falling in closely behind him.

After all of the customary welcome backs are completed they find themselves seated in front of Hetty's desk looking back and forth between Hetty and Granger.

"Mr. Deeks… Ms. Blye…. We are in the process of setting up an undercover operation within the law firm of Plaster Burke & Squire, one of their partners Raymond Squire was found dead in his home this morning." Informs Hetty.

The Assistant Director adds, "One of my oldest friends James Plaster contacted me shortly after…he is afraid that the other two partners in the firm had become involved in some shady deals involving military weapons. He thinks that maybe, just maybe that's what got Mr. Squire killed. The other partner is Melissa Burke her ex husband was a Navy General who had access to all kinds of decommissioned weapons. After her husband died several of those weapons have come up missing and the navy continues to find more weapons missing from other stockpiles. Recently a couple of nuclear weapons have mysteriously dropped off the radar."

"This is where you come in Mr. Deeks; knowing as I do that your license to practice law in the state of California is still active, we have it set up that you will be going in as Mr. Squire's younger brother Martin. You will be taking over your family's share of the firm. Ms. Blye will be your legal assistant and live in girlfriend Makensi Blake. Owen has cleared all of this with Mr. Plaster, and I have been in contact with the state bar to set up your alias. They are aware of the nature of this assignment and should you have to appear in court during your assignment you are covered and everything will be legal. Nell and Eric are finishing up the backstopping as we speak. You will be moving in to your new house on the beach in Malibu this evening and will report to work on Monday morning."

"Ok, but Hetty…I don't know anything about being a legal assistant. What good am I going to be?"

"You Ms. Blye will be the arm candy. Mr. Deeks' alias has a reputation with the ladies, and a list of past assistants as long as my arm. It will allow you to get in with some of the other lower level lawyers and paralegals within the firm which will help us find all who are involved. Seeing Mr. Deeks as the playboy will also help him get close to Mrs. Burke, she seems to have a preference for blondes. If he can get in good with her maybe she will include him in her plans."

Granger grumbles, "I sure hope that the two of you find your new home acceptable. It seems to me that Henrietta has paid a very pretty penny to acquire a home that is befitting a powerful attorney that grew up with a very large trust fund. I have sent the address to your phones and you will find that the closets are already fully stocked with your wardrobe."

"I do look damn good in a suit." boasts Deeks.

"I hope you'll find them acceptable Mr. Deeks, I had each of them individually tailored just for you."

"You both have the rest of this evening to gather the personal necessities from your homes. Here are the keys to your new vehicles. Detective err Agent Deeks you have the blue Mercedes and Agent Blye the red BMW convertible. When you arrive at your residence you will find your new phones and any other necessary equipment that you may require."

"Granger….is the home pet friendly? If not I need to make arrangements with the doggy day care."

Granger snorts as Hetty answers, "Mr. Deeks, Monty is more than welcome in any of my homes….you know that."

Kensi has remained silent through most of the briefing, the reality of the situation smacking her square in the face. She was going to be forced to watch Deeks seduce and woo information out of another woman all while pretending to be oblivious and madly in love. Well she wouldn't have to pretend to be in love, but just the thought of her…her Deeks fawning all over another woman was enough to turn her stomach.


	2. Hurt

**So here's chapter 2. I've been back and forth about this one for awhile now and I've rewritten it a couple times, but I keep coming back to something like this. I like the fluff….I just can't have these idiots mad at each other for too long. Next chapter will be exploring their new home, the private beach, some adorable Monty added in, and then drinks with the team.**

Deeks is truthfully not as unaffected by this assignment as he is pretending to be. It's been awhile since he has gone under for any length of time; nothing longer than a couple hours in the past year or so, but that's not what's bothering him. No, that's definitely not what's causing the dread to settle into the pit of his stomach and the lump in his throat that's so big he can barely swallow around it.

The words nuclear weapons had immediately made his heart seize up, his jaw ache, bile rise in his throat, and made him break out in a cold sweat. He was momentarily transported back to that God awful chair and can almost taste the metallic tang of his own blood in his mouth once again. He sees flashes of Sam strapped to the other chair in that body shop, only this time in his mind Sam is replaced by Kensi and that makes his blood run ice cold. He tries with everything in him to tamp down his all consuming fear, but only succeeds in heightening his frusteration.

No, he does not have a good track record with nukes; and the thought that Kensi will be anywhere near this operation if it goes sideways is enough for panic to begin to work its way into his heart and soul. He's not so sure he can do this. He wages a war within himself.

It would be nice to have her there with him and not have to leave her behind; it would be heaven to play house with Kensi in Malibu, have a reason to openly flirt with her, free reign to touch her when and how he wanted.

However, having her there with him showing the world just how much he actually cares about her puts her in danger it gives the bad guys some leverage to use against him. He knows that much of the assignment would be about the aliases, but he would be lying to everyone including himself if he said that the care, concern, and love that he would be showing Kensi in the weeks to come would simply be an act.

He buries his head in his hands thinking of how far he would take things to guarantee her safety, how far he had gone and the things he had done in Afghanistan. The thought of Kensi in danger brings out a side of himself he'd rather not show the world, if he can just leave her behind get in and get this assignment over with it minimizes the risks to her safety and it keeps her as far away from these bad guys as he possibly can.

The benefits just don't outweigh the risks in his mind, and in the end his overwhelming need to protect Kensi to keep her safe at all costs finally wins out. He knows she is going to be pissed, but he just has to find a way to do this without her.

Sensing Deeks' hesitation and seeing him turn ashen Kensi grabs his hand under the desk and gives it a firm squeeze. When he finally looks at her she can see the palpable fear and a hint of something else that she can't name in his eyes, and can feel the racing of his pulse in his wrist where she is gently stroking her thumb back and forth.

Deeks roughly pulls his hand away in a desperate attempt at regaining some semblance self control. "I don't like it….at all." He says with a cold distant voice.

While Kensi contemplates his behavior the conversation continues around her with her only catching a few words here or there. Deeks has never willingly pulled away from any contact with her or reacted to her touch in such a violent manner.

"I'm sorry Mr. Deeks but you are the only one on this team with any legal knowledge or experience and it would take too long to get Mr. Callen or Mr. Hanna up to speed."

He glances at Kensi, knowing that his next words are going to hurt her. "That part…I'm fine with. I get it…I understand, and I know I can do my part without a doubt. What I don't like is Kensi being involved. If my alias is such a playboy why would he keep any one girl around that long? I've done assignments like this before... and I find that the less entanglements the better. I…I don't need her Hetty. I don't _want_ her there. Just leave her out of this. I'd rather do this on my own."

The venom that drips from his voice causes her to visibly flinch and Kensi can't contain the gasp that escapes her mouth as her eyes fill with unshed tears. She covers her mouth with her hand as if trying to prevent any further sounds from escaping. She can't look at anything other than the floor directly in front of her feet, knowing that if she looks anyone in the eyes right now those tears won't remain unshed for much longer. She can't decide which emotion is winning right now anger or hurt.

In his opinion there are very few things that he does exceptionally well, but one of them is read his partner. Right now he can almost feel the anger radiating off of her in waves, what he isn't prepared for is the look in her eyes when she finally meets his gaze. That's a look he's never seen before, and one he hopes he never has to see again. The hurt in her eyes is enough to suffocate him, and knowing that he is the cause for it…well that alone is enough to break him. "Kens.."

She cuts him off with a quick angry shake of her head, before returning her gaze to the floor. She hopes that he doesn't see the few tears that have escaped her eyes before she has a chance to angrily swipe them away.

"Detective, it may be common place for LAPD to send their people into undercover operations without back up, however that goes against our policy and I will not make an exception in this case or any other for that matter. Trust me I have debated the intelligence of sending you in with Ms. Blye for hours on end….however unfortunately it's the only story that makes any sense and is in any way plausible. There will be no changing the story. Understand?"

Deeks mumbles a resigned "Yes sir."

After all of the details are ironed out and the briefing is finished they both rise from their chairs; Deeks quietly turns towards his desk as Kensi spins on her heel and heads into the bathroom.

Hetty observes her agents, silently saying a little prayer that the two of them can work through this. And make it out the other side in once piece.

Her reverie is interrupted by Granger's gruff voice "What the hell was that Henrietta? Are you sure those two are ready for this?"

"As sure as I'll ever be. If nothing else Owen…they'll be able to get the job done, of that I am absolutely positive."

"Mr. Deeks….I believe this belongs to you." Calls Hetty while holding up his new badge.

"And that my man… calls for some celebratory drinks tonight, we'll meet you at seven at the usual spot." States Sam as he pulls Deeks in for a quick hug.

Deeks' eyes still have yet to leave the entrance to the women's restroom waiting and hoping for his partner to reemerge. He's fighting with everything in himself not to give in to his instinct to barge in that restroom and demand to explain his reasoning to one seriously pissed off Kensi Marie Blye.

Callen pats him on the back before adding, "That is…if you guys can. I know you need to go under this weekend."

"Uh, yeah, no…..I think we can do drinks tonight…that is…if it's ok with Kensi….I'll uh just ask her when…when she comes out of the bathroom…" He stutters.

Kensi sits on the toilet in the bathroom stall angrily swiping at the hot tears as they fall from her eyes. She feels so betrayed; just ten minutes ago Deeks was thoroughly kissing her in the gym telling her that he wanted to do it more often, and now he was pushing her away again. He'd gone as far as to say he didn't want her there, that he'd rather do it himself….what had he meant by that. She allows herself to cry for a few more minutes before blowing her nose on some toilet paper and flushing it down the toilet. She walks to the sink, looks in the mirror and splashes some cold water on her face. Looking in the mirror one last time before she leaves, she pushes the hurt out of her mind and lets the anger take over.

"Ask me what?" She bites out in a clipped tone.

"Callen and I want to take this guy out for drinks to celebrate him finally sigining those papers," says Sam as he wraps his arm around Deeks' shoulder.

"You, uh you don't have to come if you don't want to Kens," mumbles Deeks while ruffling his hair with his hand and looking at the ground.

"Sure…drinks are good. I mean it's not every day your _partner_ becomes an agent….right?" She questions sharply. Deeks hears the inflection that she places on the word partner, emphasizing it to a point where it would be impossible for him to miss the implications.

Kensi notices that Deeks is unusually quiet and has a faraway look on his face while he is stuffing his things into his bag. She definitely takes notice but feigns indifference.

"So I guess…I'll see all of you at seven. I'm going to find my car and go pick up Monty so that he'll have time to settle in to the new house before I leave him."

Several 'See you later's and congratulations' ring out throughout the bullpen as he walks solemnly towards the garage.

Kensi grabs her bag hastily stuffing her belongings inside before angrily running after Deeks down the hallway, she finally catches up to him in the parking garage.

"Deeks…..Marty…," She calls out. It's her use of his first name that really captures his attention and causes him to stop suddenly and turn to face her.

He stops so quickly she runs smack into him, she places her hands on his chest before grabbing his biceps to steady herself, "What…the….hell…was…that?" She emphasizes every word with a poke to his chest. "You have _no _right….none. You may not think that you need me, and you may not think that I can handle this…..but seriously what the hell was that? Now everyone knows thatyou think I can't do my job. I mean I don't get you! You run so hot and cold…one minute you're kissing the daylights out of me, which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way, and the next you're practically telling everyone you don't trust me and don't want me to be your partner….that you'd rather do this assignment on your own! "

"Kens….…that's not what this is about. Honestly you'd be safer on the outside. I know that you're mad at me." He says tilting her chin up but in typical Kensi fashion she is still refusing to look him in the eye. "I'm just trying to protect you."

"I am not mad….angry….I'm angry, and hurt….and I don't understand…..Marty, I can do this, I can….I know you don't think…."

He interrupts her, "It's not _you_ I'm worried about Kens….well let me rephrase that…it _is_ you I'm worried about. What happens to you if _I_ can't do this? What happens to you if _I _mess this up? I can't face the possibility of having to watch something happen to you because of some stupid mistake that I made."

"You won't!" She answers confidently.

He looks down at her then finally meeting her eyes, sparkling blue meeting mismatched brown, he sighs in defeat, "I sure hope you're right Princess."

"Pshhhh I'm always right Deeks, always. You of all people should know that by now." She says trying to infuse a little humor into the tenseness of the situation.

"So…we're good? I mean…I'm good if you're good."

"Yeah Deeks…we're good. I'm still mad.."

She's interrupted by Deeks chuckling, "Thought you didn't get mad?"

"Shut up Deeks! Ugggg I'm still angry ok…I'm angry that you want to protect me at the expense of your own safety…I'll never be ok with that…never, but it's not something we can't work through….together."

She snakes her arms up around his neck threading her fingers into the curls at the base of his neck pulling him in for a kiss.

Kensi has never kissed him like this before, the kiss is full of passion, and tinged with just a tad bit of her fiery anger. He places his hands on her hips and pulls her firmly against him before turning her around and backing her up against his blue Mercedes.

"For the record Kens, I do need you…and I want you more than you'll ever know…I was just trying to protect you and keep you out of this."

She places a gentle kiss on his lips, "I know that you big jerk….why do you think you're still alive?"


	3. Beginning

A few hours later Kensi finds herself sitting outside of a beautiful modern oceanfront property, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel waiting impatiently for Deeks to arrive. She's searching through the bag in the passenger seat for a Twinkie when her phone suddenly starts playing 'I'm sexy and I know it' she laughs whole heartedly before answering the phone with an exasperated "Really Deeks? Really?"

He chuckles quietly. "Hey Fern…what's the code to get into this stinking gate? I had it written down but Monty walked all over it and now I can't read it anymore and the rent-a-cop isn't saying much. I think the alarm company is probably already calling Hetty….and I'd really hate for the cops to show up and welcome me to the neighborhood right now."

"9979, C'mon Shaggy, Hurry Up!….I'm starving here!"

"Really, Kens? Because I'm sure you've had at least one….no…. probably two Twinkies since you pulled in…my guess is that you're working on the third as we speak, since I hear you desperately trying not to crinkle the wrappers."

"Shut up Deeks!" Kensi mumbles around a mouth full of Twinkie as she hurriedly tries to hide the other two wrappers between the seats. "Oh my God! If you scratched that brand new Mercedes by tying your board to the top of it Hetty will KILL you." She exclaims as she sees Deeks pull up in her rearview mirror.

"What? I'm going to be living on the ocean….with a private beach for the foreseeable future….you didn't expect me to abstain from surfing did you?" he asks with mock innocence. "aaaand you better clean those wrappers out from between the seats because if Hetty finds your wrappers she's gonna get maaaad at you too!" He punctuates his last statement by sticking his tongue out at her and hanging up the phone.

"It's November Marty….It's cold outside….isn't surfing kind of a summer thing? Anyway…..I bet the neighbors got a good laugh out of you with that board on top of your car and Monty hanging his head out of the window…..they're probably worried about the property values plummeting." She calls out as she opens the driver's door of the BMW.

Stepping out of his vehicle and taking in a deep breath of ocean air he answers, "Ha ha ha Princess….I surf year 'round and I'll have you know Monty was the perfect gentleman on the way up the drive…..I only had to roll the windows up after he tried to jump out and chase the toy poodle and the yorkie a couple streets over…...let me set the board up next to the house grab our bags and then we'll go inside. You have your key right? If not you can always fish mine out of my pocket for me." He says waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, no, I've definitely got mine…..did you read the property description that Hetty gave us….this house is amazing! I can't believe Hetty is thinking about selling it. I can't wait to see the inside." Kensi rambles as she hands a piece of paper to him.

"This beautifully maintained and magnificently designed masterpiece sits on approx. 65 ft. of beach frontage at one of the most serene and private stretches of coastline in Malibu. With no neighboring beach homes for several hundred feet to the east, you are situated next to one of the longest stretches of private, dry sand beach anywhere in Malibu. four spacious bedrooms and three baths, including a large private master suite, elevator, as well as an entire lower entertaining level with: indoor pool (with swim jets) and spa, sauna, steam shower, large TV/movie area, and tons of deck space Dramatic whitewater ocean views from almost every room, vaulted ceilings, abundant natural light, and a private, gated street." He reads aloud from the paper. "Yeah….that gate is a pain in the ass especially if you can't remember the code, and that grumpy looking security guard at the gate who coincidentally looks like he might have eaten more than his fair share of doughnuts isn't much help…but on the bright side I can't wait to see the beach!"

"You'll probably live on the beach."

"Well yeah! What's the point of living on the beach if you don't _live _on it….quick lets go inside I want to go see what the surf looks like out there…even though it really won't be at its best until tomorrow morning."

"Guess I know where you'll be when I wake up in the morning, but seriously….isn't it kinda cold for that?"

"What? You mean you're not going to join me? You don't want me to wake you up when I leave? Huh?"

"I'm a big girl Marty….I'd just rather stay cuddled under the blankets…..but…..I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find you….at some point. When I'm ready to get out of bed and get dressed."

"Ok Fern, let's go see how the other half lives."

Monty starts yapping from the interior of the Mercedes reminding his humans that he was indeed still there and wanted to come inside with them.

"I'll just grab his food and water bowls and his doggy bed…if you're sure that you've got the bags."

"Relax Fern; I'm not going to drop your Twinkies."

"Funny boy!" She laughs as she gently smacks him on the shoulder before opening the passenger door of the blue Mercedes freeing an overly excited Monty.

Monty springs out of the vehicle and runs in circles around Kensi and Deeks' feet while happily yapping before he gets distracted by a sea gull and takes off towards the beach chasing it.

"Deeks! Your shaggy mutt is headed towards the beach already. I figured you would have at least had him on a leash."

"Monty!"Deeks hollers before letting out a shrill high pitched whistle that causes the little dog to stop dead in his tracks and trot happily back towards the two of them.

"Amazing" Whispers Kensi in awe "He really is very well trained…..too bad you're not!"

"Touché, but Now now Fern, we've been through this numerous times I am amazingly well trained….I cook…I clean…I change the toilet paper roll which is definitely more than you can say for yourself." He chuckles and winks while waiting for her to open the door.

Kensi swings the door open wide and a bright sunny entryway and a wall of windows overlooking the ocean is revealed.

"Impressive…Hetty really does know her real estate." Kensi says as she sets out followed closely by Monty to explore the house.

Deeks drops the bags in the entryway and proceeds to the windows overlooking the beach. He's still tied up in knots over this assignment, while he knows it's going to be nice to live in this amazing house with his partner but these are some really bad guys they're dealing with and that scares him. The merciful thing about the whole Siderov ordeal is that while he had known things could go wrong, he didn't have to sit around for weeks and think about what could happen to him…or worse to Kensi if they did.

Kensi sees him staring out over the ocean, and by the set of his shoulders she can tell that he is troubled. He is overly tense, and that is the polar opposite of the usually fun loving man that she is used to dealing with. She walks up behind him and wraps her arms around his waist and leans into him. Laying her cheek on his shoulder and pulling him close she can feel some of the tension leave him. She knows they really should talk about what's bothering him, but once again she takes the cowardly way out and deflects. "It's beautiful, yeah?" She asks.

He turns around to face her and leans his forehead against hers while looking into her concerned eyes. "Nowhere near as beautiful as you." He closes the distance between them and brushes his lips gently against hers. He feels her surprised gasp against his lips before deepening the kiss even further and backing her up against the window.

When her foggy brain realizes that she needs to breathe Kensi breaks off the kiss. "Marty….are….are you ok?"

"Yeah Kens….I'm good." He says as he looks past her.

"If it was going to bother you this much….make you this unhappy…why did you do it?"

"Excuse me? Do what? What are you talking about?" He questions genuinely confused.

"If the thought of being an agent makes you this upset…..why'd you do it. Why'd you sign those stupid papers?" She clarifies in an unsteady voice so terrified of his answer that she's literally shaking.

"That's what you think this is about?" He chuckles.

"Well…yeah…I did until you laughed at me…..isn't it?"

"No it's not….but to answer your question, I did it because I wanted to…because I was ready. I did it for you….for us….but mostly for me. I haven't been LAPD for years…not really. It was just a formality that I would have gotten around to anyway, Granger just forced the issue. So uh yeah….where did we need to put Monty's bed?" He asks and just like that he's gone, pulled away from her physically and emotionally and she already misses the warmth and security of his embrace.

Upon hearing his name the shaggy little mutt trots over to the two of them with his leash in his mouth and starts prancing in circles around their feet while yapping happily.

"Um…. I guess we can put the bed in the living room, but it looks to me like Monty wants to see the beach just as much as his master does."

After hearing his name again and the word beach Monty redoubles his efforts and begins to yip in a new octave while bouncing from paw to paw excitedly.

"Ok…ok….lets go." Deeks sighs while opening the glass doors leading out onto the deck overlooking the perfect stretch of private beach. "You coming too Kens?"

"Um…sure I'll come out for a few minutes, but then I guess I need to get ready to go out with the guys tonight."

"Yeah…um I mean if you don't want to….we don't have to go"

"Marty….I want to go…I really do… I want to celebrate…everything."

Kensi and Deeks strolled on the beach for a few minutes before they were approached by another young couple and their small daughter.

"Goggy! Goggy! Me wanna pet Goggy!" Squealed the little blonde.

Deeks chuckles while kneeling down next to Monty, "Do you want to pet the doggy sweetheart?" He asks.

The little girl suddenly realizes that the strange man is talking to her and shyly hides behind her father's legs. When she peeks back out she nods her head emphatically causing her ringlets to bob, "Me wanna pet goggy!"

"Ok princess….his name is Monty….and he loves little girls. Why don't you come over here and pet him?"

"Hi Monty…my name Mandy. Me pet you!" She says as she hesitantly walks up to Monty and pats him on the head a couple times before wrapping her arms around him and squealing.

Deeks stands and extends him hand out to Mandy's father. "My name is Martin Squire and this is my girlfriend Makensi. Nice to meet you"

"I'm Craig…this is Connie, and you have met our little Mandy."

Connie pipes in "It's nice to have someone finally live in that beautiful house. It was such a waste for it to sit empty for that long."

"Yeah….we fell in love with it the first time we saw it. I just knew I had to live there, and Marty here…well I think he's more in love with the beach here than he is with me."

"Not a chance sugarbear." Deeks says with a wink.

Kensi takes an almost instant dislike to Connie, of course that could have to do with the way that the other woman was ogling Deeks. She was perusing him from top to bottom and taking far too long for Kensi's liking. The woman didn't even try to hide her interest. "So Martin…"

"Call me Marty…all my friends do."

Damn him, intentional or not it seems Deeks was actually encouraging her.

"Ohhh anyway Marty.."

The woman practically purred when she said his name and Kensi was seeing red or was it green..Either way she gracefully moves closer to Deeks and wraps her arm around his waist laying her head on his shoulder and pretends to be oblivious to the other woman's flirtation.

"I hear through the grapevine that you're coming to Plaster Burke & Squire. Such a shame about your dear sweet brother."

The woman has the audacity to step into her partner's personal space and place her palm on his chest.

"Your brother was the sweetest man; I um…assisted him several times." Connie says stepping even closer and tilting her head up at Deeks. "So...if you need any help….assistance of _any_ kind, you just let me know and I will be more than willing to…"

Kensi actually growls a little as she swats the woman's hand away and pulls her partner back a step. "Thanks for your offer, but your grapevine obviously neglected to mention that Marty here already has a personal assistant…_and_ a girlfriend…so trust me if he needs any assistance…any at all…he'll be getting it from me."

Connie who is largely unaffected by Kensi's outburst, just giggles and looks at Kensi as if she is some silly girl, before turning her attentions back to Deeks. "The offer still stands….anytime." She adds before turning back to her husband.

"I'll uh…I'll remember that." He calls out to her retreating form, only to realize Kensi's no longer by his side and is striding back towards the house purposefully.

"Kens?" He calls out.

She doesn't stop or turn to him, she's entirely too keyed up to try to have any kind of conversation right now. She's mad at herself for getting so worked up about something so silly but she can't seem to stop the hot angry tears streaming down her face. Damn it, why now? Why does this assignment have to happen now when she's entirely unsure about where they stand, unsure of just about everything except that she is in love with him. She's too distracted by her own thoughts to hear him running to catch up with her. "ohhh Marty I'd love to help you out with anything that you might need." She mumbles under her breath sarcastically.

He wraps his arms around her from behind pulling her tightly up against him and nuzzles her neck placing feather light kisses on her neck, "Kens….princess…trust me…"

She spins around on him. "You…I trust..her not so much." She swipes angrily at the tears on her cheeks with the sleeves of her sweatshirt. "I do trust you Marty…I do…with everything, but it's not going to make this any easier."

"No…I have a feeling that nothing about this assignment is going to be easy." He uses the pad of his thumb to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "Except maybe….this." He says as he closes the distance between them and ghosts his lips over hers pulling her flush against him.


	4. Restraint

Kensi allows herself to melt into his embrace for a moment before pulling away. "You can't do this Deeks."

"I…I…um can't…uh I can't kiss you?" He stammers blinking rapidly as she catches him off guard by the abrupt ending to the kiss as well as the words that she has just spoken.

"No…yes, no…..what I mean is.." She chews on her thumb nail as struggles to find the right words.

"Well that's as clear as mud Kens…."

"Listen….what I mean is…you can't keep kissing me to distract me, to avoid things you don't want to talk about."

"So kissing me…is distracting?" He asks in a low husky voice as he grins and steps back into her personal space placing his hands on her hips and tugging her gently against him. He tilts his head to the side and leans in, "Distracting in a good way?" brushing his lips against hers he adds "…or a bad way?"

Placing both palms on his chest before sliding them up and around his neck she deepens the kiss and runs her fingers through the silky golden curls at the nape of his neck. "Mmm definitely a good distraction….but you're doing it again." She whispers as she pulls back to look him in the eyes.

Avoiding her gaze he steps back and grabs her hand lacing their fingers together and gently tugs her back towards the house. "I think we probably should be getting ready for tonight."

"Yeah….tonight." She sighs as she can literally feel her heart clench in her chest. She knows that something is bothering Deeks, but she also knows that her stubborn partner isn't about to share what that is until he's ready. She stops walking and tugs back on Deeks until he turns back to face her, "Oh…and…for the record….whenever you're ready to talk…about whatever it is that's eating you up…I'm right here…ok?"

"Yeah…ok…good to know." He says still avoiding any eye contact.

"Deeks!"

The pleading tone in her voice is enough to get his attention and his troubled blue eyes finally meet hers. Seeing the pain in his eyes she steps forward and places her hand on his scruffy cheek. He covers her hand with one of his own and leans into her touch.

"I'm serious ok, I mean it….I'm here…no matter what, and I'd like to help…if you'll let me."

He slides her hand from his cheek and while maintaining eye contact places a soft gentle kiss into the palm of her hand. "I know Kens…thanks…I just need to get it all straight up here," he gestures towards his head, "Before I can…"

"I get it…I do." She says sadly before turning and tugging him along behind her.

After taking a quick shower Deeks exits the master bath wrapped in a towel and heads for the walk-in closet.

Speaking of distracting, Kensi is sufficiently distracted as her partner exits the bathroom surrounded by steam looking like some kind of Greek God and covered only with a fluffy white towel that sits low on his hips. His hair is still wet and there is water dripping from his curls flowing down his toned chest tracing a pattern over his taught abs only to be absorbed by that damned white towel. Having realized that she has followed one drop from tip of his hair all the way down to the towel and hearing him clear his throat she snaps her eyes back up only to meet the amused gaze of her partner.

"See something you like Princess?" he quips as he turns and heads into the closet.

As he disappears into the closet she readjusts her focus back to that low slung towel and more accurately what that towel is barely concealing.

"I know you're checking out my ass…and as I've said before…. I can't blame you..it is a nice one."

"Oh dear God Deeks...I'm not.."She denies weakly.

"You are." He hollers from the depth of the closet as he searches for something to wear.

"Did you leave me any hot water?"

"We could have conserved….been eco-friendly….I would have shared the hot water, besides that shower is definitely big enough for two." He answers as he drops the towel to pull on his black boxer briefs.

Kensi clears her throat from behind him, "For the record…. _Now_…I am staring at your ass….and it is a _great_ one."

"Jesus Kens!" He actually squeaks a little when he says her name while quickly pulling up his underwear. "Ok… touché…I'll uh…I'll give you that one" He calls to her retreating form.

He pulls on a nicely fitted pair of black jeans, slides on a black v-neck t-shirt and tucks it in, and snags a bright blue long sleeved button down off of a hanger before going to sit on the big king-sized bed to slide on his black leather boots.

He can smell Kensi's lavender shampoo and body wash wafting out of the bathroom as she has left the door slightly cracked. Just the thought of Kensi naked and in that giant shower with all twelve shower jets shooting out hot water, and the purple loofah filled with suds is enough to drive him to distraction. Hell, Kensi fully clothed is enough to distract him.

He loves her, he knows it now, but figuring out what to do with that knowledge is a small part of what's troubling him. Does he tell her and take the risk of scaring her? She does seem to be in a better place and more secure in their relationship that she has ever been before, but that's just not how their thing usually works.

They're never in the same place at the same time, one pushes while the other pulls - what would happen if they just dropped the damned metaphorical rope and grabbed on to each other?

He's not sure that now is the time and place for them to work this all out, terrified of the consequences should one of them become distracted and make a mistake but he's even more scared of something happening and her never knowing how he really feels. In their line of work they are definitely not guaranteed tomorrow, and he makes a decision to let her know how he feels tonight.

Meanwhile, Kensi is enjoying the massage feature of the shower and indulging in almost the exact same internal dialogue.

She had left the door to the bathroom cracked in hopes that he would come looking for her, not surprisingly he had apparently shown some restraint as she hears him humming in the other room.

Cutting off the shower she wraps herself in one fluffy white towel while wrapping the other around her hair. Just then a wonderfully devious idea comes to her and she takes the towel off of her head, tousles her hair, and boldly steps into the bedroom. She feels like the sexiest woman on the planet when she feels his hungry gaze roam over her. "See something you like Shaggy?"

"Definitely." He answers hoarsely as he swallows the lump in his throat.

She spins on her heel and heads toward the closet, just as she gets to the door she looks back over her shoulder, sees him watching her, and calls out "Good." As she drops the towel from around her and kicks the closet door closed behind her.

She hears him groan, "Jesus woman…are you trying to kill me here," And smiles to herself.

As she pulls on a bright pink thong and fastens the matching bra she peruses her closet for the perfect outfit for celebrating tonight. Spying some black leather pants she runs her hands over the soft supple leather before sliding them on.

The pants fit like a glove and she loves the way they feel, hopefully her partner will too. After flipping through several shirts she finally selects a silky hot pink shirt that drapes over her nicely and displays just enough cleavage to draw attention but not so much as to be indecent, and slips it on. She scoops up some strappy black heels, and opens the closet door.

She can literally feel the tension in the room and the heat starting to coil low in her abdomen as his gaze leisurely peruses her, she bends over to pick up her discarded towel from the floor to blot her hair dry.

He almost chokes on his own tongue when she bends over in front of him revealing even more of her lovely cleavage and a hint of the pink satin bra underneath. He stands and slips his arms into the blue shirt; rolling up the sleeves to just below the elbow, and going to work on the buttons.

He's concentrating so hard on the buttons and trying to think about anything but his sexy partner that he's startled when he feels her smooth her hands over his shoulders before knocking his hands away and buttoning the remaining buttons herself. "Um..yeah…funny thing is…in the dream sequence you're always unbuttoning them…"

"Hmmm…maybe that can be arranged too." She says stepping back and looking into his eyes before turning to head back to the bathroom and apply her make-up.

"It's official…you're trying to kill me…aren't you?" He mumbles as he tucks in his shirt before fastening his belt and heading out of the room.

Kensi finds him waiting in the living room thirty minutes later sitting on the sofa and listening to the radio. His head is leaned back and his eyes are closed and he appears more relaxed than she has seen him in days.

As she approaches him she can tell that he has fallen asleep and she'll be damned if he isn't the most adorable thing she's ever seen. She walks up, straddles his lap and nibbles and sucks on his earlobe before scraping her teeth across the spot right behind his ear that she remembers drives him absolutely crazy.

He is awakened by Kensi sitting in his lap and runs his hands up the smooth leather covering her legs before stopping with his palms cupping her ass and pulling her tight against him. "Jesus Kens….seriously I'm only human…and a man at that…I only have so much restraint."

"Maybe that's the point…..I'm ready for you to not be quite so restrained." she says nipping his bottom lip before kissing him deeply and rotating her hips against him.

He stands so suddenly that if he hadn't been holding her against him she would have toppled over. "Ok….that's it….we…we're not going tonight."

"Ummmhmmmm, yes we are….they're expecting us, and I really do want to celebrate. You're the best partner I've _ever_ had, my best friend, and my…._so much more_…." Her voice has dropped in volume so much that he almost doesn't hear those last three words; she clears her throat and continues "it's not everybody that gets an invitation to join NCIS….so this really is something to celebrate. We can continue this.." She gestures between the two of them, "tonight when we get home….and tomorrow morning….and afternoon…and -"

He silences her with a kiss and sets her back on the floor. "Ok lets go." He says pulling out her black leather jacket and helping her put it on before shrugging on his own and walking out the door. "Your car or mine?"

"I'll let you drive…tonight."

As Kensi and Deeks step into the club they spot Sam, Michelle, Callen, Nell, and Eric sitting in their usual spot. He drapes his arm causally around her waist to help guide her through the crowd and instead of pulling away like she usually would she leans into him. _My God the man smells amazing._

"Are you sniffing me Kens? I thought we agreed that there would be no more sniffing." He says as he inhales a deep breath from near the top of her head.

As she swats his chest she corrects, "No….I told you not to sniff my hair anymore…and technically by your own admission..…there were never any promises made."

Watching the two of them approach Nell jabs a finger into Callen's ribs, "They're really playing the part of loving couple convincingly aren't they."

"Not sure entirely how much of its acting," pipes in Sam.

Callen is still rubbing his side when Kensi and Deeks stroll up.

Sam is the first to his feet to pull Deeks into a hug and patting him on the back, "Congrats man, it's been a long time coming. Never thought I'd see the day that I would say this out loud….but you belong here…with us, and I'm glad you finally made it official."

"Thanks man," Deeks scratches the back of his neck a little embarrassed by the big man's words.

"First rounds on me. Congrats Deeks, welcome to the team…officially." Callen says as he offers his hand for a handshake and then pulls Deeks in for a quick hug.

"Thanks, guys." He replies quietly. "Never thought I'd see the day I got a hug from both Sam, and G….I almost feel special."

Kensi leans in closer and grabs his hand under the table squeezing, "You are special."

"You'd have to be…to put up with Kensi for this long." Chuckles Callen.

"Hey there stranger…wanna dance?" says the beautiful brunette as she wraps her arms around Deeks from behind and presses herself up against him.

"You have got to be kidding me. Monica!...Hey uh, how are you?" He stammers while tilting his head and looking at Kensi for a little assistance.

Kensi offers no help as she sits next to him mutely. She is still a tad bit - ok a whole lot touchy about the whole Monica ordeal and having to see her now openly flirting with her partner is royally pissing her off.

She can feel the gazes of her co-workers studying her reaction as well as her partner's pleading look, but can't find it within herself to do anything about it.

Monica wiggles in between the two of them draping herself around Deeks and whispering in his ear before asking again. "Wanna Dance?" She tugs on his arm and he stands reluctantly, before Monica notices Kensi. "Oh…hey there…Kensi was it?"

"I…uh…Hi…I was just heading to the restroom." Kensi mutters as she stands abruptly and heads towards the bathroom.

"Kens…Kensi wait!" Deeks calls out to her retreating form.

After politely divesting himself of Monica, Deeks stands outside the women's restroom tapping on the door. "Kensi…I will come in there after you."

Kensi is in the far bathroom stall desperately trying not to cry, and trying to figure out why it is that this one woman can affect her this way. "Go away Deeks! The door is locked."

He leans his back against the door before calling back, "Not gonna happen Fern, and it seems that you have forgotten that I do know how to pick a lock, although I don't look quite as good as you do when I do it….now c'mon out here and dance with me Princess, or I will come in there and get you."

Deeks almost falls backwards into the bathroom when Kensi abruptly opens the door. "You didn't dance with her?"

"I didn't dance with her." He simply states. "I have no desire to dance with her…why would I? The hottest most beautiful woman in the building happens to be my girlfriend, why would I want to dance with anyone else?"

"Girlfriend?" Sputters Kensi.

"Girlfriend." He confirms as he swallows and tilts his head to the side. "You should have seen Callen's face when I told Monica that….and I'm pretty sure Sam wants to kill me, soooo I'm going to need you to come dance with me…you know as protection."

**A/N…So here you go..Apparently inspiration has struck again….I know I know right… Finally! You say. A huge thanks to Bamie02 who reads these things and assures me I'm not entirely crazy..she also comes up with the bestest (**yes…I know that's not really a word**) ideas in the whole wide world. Not making any promises as to when I'll post again because real life as a step-mother to 3 teenagers as well as mother to a 5 year old and a career as an emergency room nurse tends to be demanding on occasion. However…reviews are helpful…trust me I like them…a lot…. and to those of you who include thoughts and ideas of what you might like to see..thank you so much because you never know when you might be introducing a very helpful idea..one that I had never thought of that might lead things in a different direction in this crazy little place that I call my brain.**


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